Company Analysis of Coal India Limited with Special Reference to Technology Innovations

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyse Coal India Limited (CIL) as a state-owned mining enterprise, with special reference to the digital, mechanised, evacuation, transparency and clean-energy technologies it has adopted. The study examines CIL’s business activities, strategies, resources, capabilities, financial performance, technological development and competitive position, and asks how state ownership shapes which technologies are adopted and what they deliver. It also identifies ways of improving consumer satisfaction, productivity and transition readiness through technologies such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), drones, GPS-based dispatch, first mile connectivity (FMC), surface and continuous miners, artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, coal gasification and solar power.

Methodology/Approach: The study adopts a company-analysis case-study approach based on secondary data for the period April 2021 to June 2026. The analysis integrates SWOC analysis, ABCD analysis, PESTLE analysis, financial analysis, technology-strategy analysis, marketing and human-resource strategy analysis and competitor analysis. Company filings, investor presentations, Ministry of Coal documents and peer-reviewed research are used, and audited or exchange-filed data are given priority over secondary summaries.

Findings/Results: CIL produced 768.19 million tonnes (MT) of coal in FY2025-26, about three-quarters of India’s output, with 2,12,066 employees. Evacuation technology shows the clearest documented change: 72 FMC projects of about 589 MTPA had been commissioned in the sector, and rail and merry-go-round systems carried about 69% of CIL’s FY2025-26 offtake. Overall output per manshift rose from 9.53 tonnes in FY2021-22 to 13.44 tonnes in FY2023-24 before easing, while underground output per manshift stayed near 1.3 tonnes despite mechanisation. Revenue from operations was ₹1,68,400 crore and profit after tax ₹31,071 crore in FY2025-26, a 12.4% fall in profit associated with softer demand, a one-time wage provision and lower e-auction prices. Research and development (R&D) spending rose from ₹61 crore in FY2023-24 to ₹245 crore in FY2024-25, but remains small against profit. Diversification into solar power and gasification is at an early stage relative to stated targets.

Originality/Value: The study combines strategic, environmental, financial, technological, marketing and human-resource perspectives to give an integrated view of the world’s largest coal producer by output. It separates technology that has been announced or sanctioned from technology that is commissioned and in use, and it distinguishes association from cause when linking technology to performance. It offers practical suggestions for state-owned mining enterprises in emerging economies on sequencing digital investment, improving productivity and preparing for the energy transition.

Type of Paper: Exploratory Research Case Study.